Articulated passenger-car.



A. TAURMAN.

ARTIGULATED PASSENGER GAE.

. APPLIOATIQN FILED MAY 27, 1913.

Patented O0t.20,1914.

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ARTIGULATED PASSENGER GAR.

Patented Oct. 20, 1914.

APPLIOATION FILED MAY 27, 1913.

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A. TAURMAN.

ARTIOULATED PASSENGER GAR.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 27, 1913.

1,1 14,552. v Patented Oct. 20, 1914.

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To all whom it may" concern i Beit known that I, ALPHONSO TAURMAN; a: citizen of the United States, residing at Richmond, in the county of Henrico, State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements" -in Articulated Passenger-Cars; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled inthe art toz-"which it vidual car cannot be advantageously inzs creased, such limit being determined by a number of factors well known to railroad experts, such as the width of the streets and track-ways, the nature of the electric power equipment and similar conditions,

36 Furthermore the constant increase in the size of cars, even when permissible under local conditions necessarily results in a vast increase in the expense of the purchase and 1 the maintenance of the rolling stock and the I '35 consequent discarding of many cars of low passenger carrying capacity. The result is that many street railway, companies are financially unable to bear the burden of Such additional rolling stock of hi h passenger -10 carryingcapacity as the tra c conditions of the road might'warrant. It has also.

been proposed to increase the passenger car'- vrying 'ca' acity of street car lines by using cars of t e ty e commonly known as -dou ble deckersl" ut there are so many disad.

vantages incident to this ty eiofcar, such as the inconvenience and di culty of-i ess and egress from the upper portion 0 the car, the handli-n of the car on sharp curves, the inability o such car to pass beneath -low street bridges and the like, that its use a 1 is prohibited in many instances by local con- A ditions. It is my purpose in the present instance'to rovide a type of passenger street car which willeifectualfy soive: many ofthe present Specification ct Lettersfatent; Appnoaticn and ma 2?. 1m. lorill in; 710,112.

Patented Oct. 20, 1914;

day passenger transportation problems which confront streetrailway companies.

In carrying out my invention I provide a car of the articulated type, such car embodylngcssentially two end passenger carryin sections between the adjacent ends'of which 18 flexibly suspended an intermediate passengencarrying compartment, this compart-v ment being supported olely by the end sec- .t1ons,.1n the sense that it is not provided with trucks or other traction devices which engage the track. .In my articulated car this suspended, intermediate section is formed with closed side walls, entrance to and exit from the entire car being had through doors which are provided at the platform ends of the endc'ompartments or sections, while the floor of the intermediate section is substantially flush with the floors of the end section so that a continuous clear aisle is formed throughout the car thereby enabling the passengers to ass through the entire articulated car wit out stepping into and out of wells or depressions in the floor of the car.

I Still. a further object of the invention is i the provision of anarticulated car wherein two small rolling stock units of low carrying ca city, such as are usually possessed by mo ern street railways, may be utilized and converted into a single unit of relatively large interposition of the interme compartment. r

I also propose to provide an articulated passengercar which may be used on narrow streets, and on short sharp curves, the articulated nature of the car-enabling the lattento take curves of relatively small radii and at the same time to provide improved facilities for the safety and convenience of the passengers.

ate passenger With the above recited objects'and others of a similar nature in View, my invention consists in the construction.combinationand arrangement of parts set forth in and falling within the scopelof the appended claims' re 1 F In the accompanying draw ngs: Figu is 'axview inside elevation of an articulated passenger car embodying-"my invention.

Fig. 2' isa horizontal sectional view taken through the same. view in side elevation s owing the intermediate compartment and its connection with the end sections orcompartments of the car.-

passenger carrying capacity by the Fi 3 is anenlarg ed Fig. 4 a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 44 of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a similar view taken on the 'line of Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is a vertical cross sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 4. Fig. 7 is a sectional view taken on the line 77 of Fig. 4. Fig. 8 is a sectional view taken on the line 88 of Fig. 4. Fig. 9 is'a top plan view of Referring now to the accompanying drawings in detail, the letters A and B indicate the two end sections or compartments of my improved car, and I wish it to be understood that these end sections may be in the nature of relatively small single cars, such as usually form partiof the rolling stock equipment of street railways. And further more, as will be seen by reference to Fig. 1, the adjacent ends of the two cars orsec'tions A and B are without platforms and vestibules and in case small cars of the ordinary type are to be converted for use in the construction of one of my improved articulated cars, the vestibule and platform is removedfrom one end of each car for the purpose of accommodating the intermediate passenger carrying compartment C. Each of the cars A and'B is provided at its outer end, or the end distant from the intermediate compartment, with the usual platform and vestibule shown at a and b respectively, and for the sake of illustration in the car shown in Fig. 1 the entrance may be presumed to be through the conductors platform and vestibule at a while the exit is through the motormans platform and vestibule at b. The intermediate passenger carrying compartment C is flexibly jointed or connected to the end sections or cars A and B in the manner hereinafter described, so that the entire unit may readily take sharp'curvcs'and grades.

. The end section A is provided with suit-' able seats as indicated at a so that an aisle (4 is formed longitudinally through such section, while the intermediate compartment C is preferably formed with longitudinal seats 0 between which extends the aisle 0'. The other end section B is provided with suitable seats 72 between which extends the longitudinal aisle 12 As will be seen by reference to Fig. 2 the aisles of the three sections A, B and C of the car form practically one continuous passage-way through the entire car, the floors of the three sections being in the same horizontal plane or substantially flush as hereinafter described.

I will now proceed to explain how the intermediate compartment C is flexibly connected or jointed to the end sections A and B, and as the connections between the intermediate compartment and one end section are similar to the connections between the intermediate compartment and the opposite end section, a description of one will suffice for both.

The cross sill of the e nd section is shown at 1, while 22 are door posts at the sides of the door opening 3, leading to the intermediate compartment. The sill 1 at the center of the door-way is bored .as at 4 which bore is enlarged at its upper end as at 5, the entire here being lined with a bushing. 6. Through this bushing is passed the coupling pin 7 the head 8 of which lies in the socket 5. The lower end of the coupling pin passes through the bore 9 in the bolster 10 and is provided with the usual nut 11. Mounted upon the central portion of the bolster is a grooved plate 13 for the ball bearings 14, while 15 designates a top plate grooved at 16 for the ball bearings 14. These balls are held in place in the; groove or race-way of the top plate by the edges of the walls of the groove so that the balls are prevented from dropping out when the. top plate is moved away from the bottom plate 13. As this manner of retaining the balls in the top plate is well known, it forms no part of the present invention. Fastcned to this top plate 15 through the medium of bolts 17 is the end frame plate 18 of the supporting frame 19 of the intermediate passenger compartment. The coupling pin 7 as will be seen by reference to Figs. 7 and 8 passes through the frame plate 18 and the ball bearing plates so that the frame is mounted 'to swing freely from side to side upon the ball bearing turn tables. A coil spring 20 is interposed between the frame plate 18 and the bottom of the sill 1 so that the relative vertical movement of the intermediate section and the end section is compensated for. The frame 19 which is connected to the compartment C by brackets 19 includes the diagonal brace members 21 which converge and merge into the end frame platelS. From the above description it will be seen that the intermediate section and the end section may swing freely relatively to each other in taking curves, while at the same time the vertical movement be tween the two sections may take place as when the car is ascending or descending a grade. In order to prevent the intermediate section from tilting or rocking toov much at one side or the other while the car is in motion, I provide a pair of oppositelydisposed curved arms 22 the inner ends of which are connected by the cross bar 23 which is fastened beneath the bottom of the intermediate compartment. The arms 2222 extend beneath the sill 1 of the end section and rest upon and Work over roller bearings 24, said arms being sufliciently long to insure that they will not be pulled forward and out of engagement with the roller bearings-when the intermediate sectionpivots the limit of its movement.

The sill 1 is formed with a pair of vertical or swings to sockets 25, preferably adjacent the door posts, these sockets opening through the top of the sill and through-alining openings in the sill plate 26. Resting 'upon this sill plate 26 1S the-rear or straight edge portion of the platform plate 27 which as will be seen by reference to Fig. 4 is approximately semicircular in form. is horizontally secured to the sill plate and to the sill by means of bolts 28 which pass through the rear end. portion of the latform plate and into the sockets 25, these olts be-v This platform .plate mg surrounded by coil s rings 29 which hold the 'adja-" cent portion of theplate 27 in contact with normally tend to yielding y the S 1lP plate under the vibrations of the moving car. The forward curved edge 30 of the sill plate overlaps the adjacent end of the compartment C and lies and works within a segmental groove 31 in the segmental strip or late 32 which is bolted at 33 to the floor of ment. It will thus be seen that this platform plate 27 is substantially flush with and forms practically a continuation of the floors of the aisles of the end section and the intermediate compartment of the car so that a passenger may pass from such end section to the intermediate compartment and vice versa along a uniform surface and without stepping into wells or other depressions in vide flexible vertically arranged -curtains 34 which are attached at their ends 35 to the door posts of the intermediate compartment the opposite ends ofsaid curtains being wound aboutthe rollers 36 supported at the side door of the end section, each of these rollers being preferably pair of rightand left-ban sp'rin s-so that the curtain will be automatically 'eld taut.

Each curtain roller is preferably incasedby a vertical angularshield strip 37 which is fastened to the sides of the deor of the end section of the car. To preventrain, dust and the. like falling into the passage-way between each end section and the intermed1-. ate c mpartment, I hinge to each of such end sections as at'38 a hood 39 preferably in theform of a plate the free end "-"portion of the intermediate compartrovided with a Y which rests upon the packing strip 40 lying in the groove of the rail 41. Itwillbe noted that this hood plate is maintained in its covering position by gravity, and that as the intermediate ,sectionand the end section go change their relative positions as in taking a curve-the hood will ride or move over the packing strip 40. The sides of this hood plate 39 are also preferably provided with depending flapcurtains 42 whlch overlie the upper end portions of the side curtains 34 so that it will be seen that the entire passage-way between the intermediate compartment and the end section is iuclosed by the side curtains, the top hood plate and the top side flaps carried by the hood plate.

I am aware of the fact that it has hitherto been proposed to construct articulated cars,

wherein an intermediate section wasinterposed between two and cars or sections, but in some cars of this type with which I am acquainted this intermediate section was em-. 'ployed simply as an entrance well er a con-' ductors platform and not as a passenger carrying compartment, and furthermore the fioorof such car was arranged below the level of the floors of the end sections so that i it was necessary for the passenger to step down into thewell or floor of the intermediate section and then up and into the end sections of the car. having an intermediate section have employed such section, either merely as a vestibule, or have provided it with trucks or other traction devices for engaging with and traveling on the track, so that in the latter case such an intermediate section really constituted a separate car having its own Other cars or trains traction devices. So far as 1am aware I am the first to provide an articulated car Wherein a pair of end assenger-carrying nnitsor sections carry, exibly' supported or hung between their confronting or adjacent ends, an intermediate passenger-carrying compartment which'is supported solelyv by the end sections in the sense that it is not rovided with trucks or other traction devices, and in which articulated car the aisles or floors of the end sections and the intermediate compartment lie in substantially the same-horizontal plane so that a continuous passage-way is formed entirelythrough the car with the entrances andexists at the end sections of the articulated car; a V

The numerous advantages incident, to-my improved car will be readily apparent, to those familiar with railway rolling stock equipment and the requirements and opera-- tion thereof. It'will be noted that although I attain a greatly increased passenger carrycar Is no more than ;ing capacity the expense 'ofoperating the the usualstreet car, for

all the service that isrequired is that of one conductor and one 'moto'rm'an; -Further-- more it-will be noted that my car is so con-- structed that it may readily and easily take steep grades, sharp curves and the'like and that it may travel over standard track-ways,

through crowded cities and towns without requiring any changes in the construction of such track-ways.

While I have herein shown and described one particular embodiment of my invention I wish it to be understood that I do not confine myself to all the precise details of construction, herein set forth, as modification v and variation may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention or exceeding the scope of the appended claims.

\Vhat I claim is: 1. In an articulated car, the combination with a pair of end sections, of an intermediate compartment flexibly suspended between bly connected with the adjacent ends and supported by the adjacent ends of the ,end sections, the floor portions of the end sections and theintermediate compartment all lying in substantially the same horizontal plane. v

in substantially the same horizontal plane.

3. The combination with a pair of end sections, of an intermediate compartment suspended from and flexibly connected with the adjacent ends of the end sections, and having closed side walls, said end sections having door-ways therein for the admission and exit of passengers.

4. The combination with a pair of end sections, of an intermediate compartment suspended from and supported by the end sections, and capable of vertical and lateral movement relative to the end sections, a continuous aisle beingformed through all of said sections with the floor portions of said aisle lying in substantially the same horizontal plane.

5. The combination with a pair of end sections, of an intermediate compartment flexibly suspended between and supported by the end sections, a continuous passage-way being formed through the end sections and the intermediate compartment, a platform plate caried by each end section and movably connected with the intermediate compartment, and means for inclosing the side and top spaces between the compartment and the end sections.

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature, in the presence of two witnesses.

ALPHONSO TAURMAN. 

